Door brake



May 19, 1953 Filed Jan. 29, 1949 IE. D. KEARNEY DOOR BRAKE '3 Sheets-Sheet 1 nrmRA/EY INVEN TOR.

1' sues/vs 0. KEARNEY E. D. KEARNEY May 1-9, 1953 DOOR BRAKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 29, 1949 72 E INVENTOR. I EUGENE D. KEARNEY I I l I l I l l I ATTORNEY May 19, 1953 E. D. KEARNEY 2,638,619

- DOOR BRAKE Filed Jam. 29, 1949 a Sheets-Sheet s l l'l'l INVENTOR. EUGENE D. KEARNEY m ATTORNEY f? Patented May 19, 1953 UNITED; STATES PATENT ovvics Eugene D. Kearney, Rochester, N. Y. Application January 29, 1949, Serial No. 73,531-

7; Glaims. (chic-s21) The present invention relates to door brakes orchecks for limiting the opening swinging movement or"- a door. In a more specific aspect, the invention relatesto a door brake on check for use on storm doors, or on any outwardly swing ing door that may be subjected to the action of the wind.

When a storm door isopened, particularly in the winter time, it isnot unusual for a gust of wind to snatch the door and hang it with destructiveforce against the side of the building or against an adjacent porch railing. Sometimes the winds may be strong enough to shatter the glass or to tear the door of its hinges.

Different types ct brakes or controls have-been devised heretofore for checking; outward swingin movement. 01 a door to offset possible influence of. a. strong In some of these, devices, the door is allowed to swing freely to a certain point at which a. positive. stcm is provided for positively limiting further movement of the. door. In a hi h Winds. however; velocity of the door may be so great that the stop viii-loot be able. to. overcome. the momentum.- ofi swing at the door; and serious damage. to the door and to the. stop will take. place. In others of. those devices, friction :i ppl ed. to; limit. the movement of the door,v but with any such devices, of which. I am aware, the. friction is allott d from the. beginning of the. door movement. with the result that the door. resists. opening; even normal use. Moreover, with these known devices. the friction. p

vents free closing of the door.

A primary object. qt the present invention is pr ide a door brake or. check which-will. allow free. swing of thedoci outwardly through a. prodetermmed angle. and which will. then cause the door tov be broughtgradually to a. stop.

Another object of the, invention isto provide I a door brake or check: which, While limiting outward swinging movement of a. door. will leave the door free to swing back to closed p sition in a normal, unrestricted manner. v

Another object [of the invention is to provide a door brahe or check of thegcharactepdescribed which is adjustaoletc permit varying the angl through whichthe door is free to swing in its outward movement; I v

A further object of the-invention is to provide a door brake .or check. of. the. character described which can readily be adjusted for use on right hand or leithand swinging doors.

Further objects. of the invention are to provide a door brake or check which is simple in construction; has a minimum number of parts, which lends itself to. rapidmass production, and which may quickly and easily be.- mounted between a door and. frame.

Other obj ectsof the invention will be apparent hereinafter from the. specification and from the recital of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a planview of adoor brake. or control made according to one embodiment. of the invention showing the parts in the position assumed when the door is closed;

2 is a section taken on the line 22, of

Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the device looking. at it'from the right of Figs. 1 and 2;

Figs. 4, 5 'and- 6 are more or less diagrammati'c views illustrating successive positions of the device during outward swinging movement of a' door to which it is attached;

Fig. 7* is an exploded perspective view showing the several parts of the device which connect'the meeting ends of thearms thereof;

Fig. 8 is a plan view showingthe cam plates of the device adjusted to a position where only a very slight free outward swinging. movement of the-door is permitted before the braking action' becomes effective;

Fig. 9' is a corresponding view showing the cam plates adjusted toanother position permit.- ting considerably further outward free swinging movement of the door before braking action becomes effective;

Figs. 10; 11 and 12* are plan views showing a modification of the invention in which mydoor brake is combined with a conventional pneumatic type door closure,- and illustrating, respectivelfi successive positions of the device in the outward swinging movement of a door; and- Fig. E3 is an exploded, perspective'viewof the several parts of the modified formof the device at the end thereofwhich is attached to the door frame; v

Reference will now beliad first to the embodiment of their-iventlon illustrated in' Figs. 1 to 9 inclusive. This devicecomprises a pair of metal straps or' arms 20 and 2 I. The arm '20 is pivotally connected at one end by a pin- 22 with. a plate 23. This: plate: is adapted to be secured to the underside of" the head jamb of the door by a coil spring 48.

frame by screws, that are passed through holes 24 in the plate. The arm or strap 2| is pivotally connected at one end by means of a pin 25 with and between the cars 26 of a plate 21. This plate is adapted to be secured to the door D by screws with pass through the holes 28 in the plate, and which thread into the door.

At their meeting ends, the two arms or straps 20 and 2| are connected together by a. bolt 30 and a nut 3| which threads thereon. The arm 20 has a square hole 32 (Fig. 7) in it to receive the correspondingly shaped shank portion 33 (Fig. 2) of the bolt so that the bolt cannot turn relative to the arm 20. Interposed between the arms 20 and 2| are a friction disc 40, a ratchet wheel 4|, a second friction disc '42, a cam plate 43, and a second cam plate 44, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and '7. These several parts have aligned round holes in them through which the cylindrical portion of the shank of the bolt 30 passes. The cylindrical portion of the shank of the bolt also passes through a round hole in a disc 35 which seats in a hole 36 in the arm 2| and which serves as a bearing on which the arm 2| may rotate. The disc 35 is preferably made thicker than the arm 2| for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. A washer 31 is interposed between the nut 3|v and thedisc 35; and the cylindrical shank portion of the bolt passes through this washer also.

The cam plate 43 is provided on its periphery with two spaced lugs or stops 59 and 59. These two lugs define a space between which the downwardlyybent lug 60 of the arm 20 is adapted to engage to lock the cam plate 43 against rotation relative to the arm 20 and bolt 30.

When the nut 3| is tightened upon the bolt 30, the bearing disc 35 causes the cam discs 44, 43, the friction disc 42, ratchet wheel 4|, and friction disc 40 to be clamped frictionally together. Because the bearing disc 35; is somewhat thicker than arm 2|, arm 2| is left free to rotate, however, without frictional resistance from the two contiguous parts 44 and 31. The ratchet disc 4| may also revolve on bolt 30 under actuation of pawl 46. as will. hereinafter appear.

The pawl 46, which is double-ended, is pivotally mounted upon a pin 45, which is secured in arm 2|. This pawl is adapted. to be urged toward engagement with the ratchet wheel 4| This spring is attached at one end to a lug 49 that is bent upfrom the arm 2|, and is adapted to be inserted at its opposite end selectively in one of the two holes 50 (Fig. 1) provided in the pawl 46 adjacent the two ends, respectively, thereof. v

The two cam plates 43 and 44 determine the distance of free outward swinging movement of the door before the braking action begins.

The cam plate 43 has a dwell portion 55 (Fig. 9) at one radius from its axis 56, which is the center of the bolt 30, and a dwell portion-51 at a lesser radius from this axis. These two dwell portions are connected by portion 58. The cam plate 43 also has a downwardly-bent lug 6| formed thereon which is angularly spaced from the lug 59 and which overlaps cam plate 44.

The cam plate 44 has dwell portions 65 and 61 (Fig. 7), concentric with axis 56, the dwell portion 61 being at the smaller radius from that axis. These two dwell portions are connected by a portion 68 (Fig. 9). The cam-plate 44 is also formed with an upturned peripheral lug and with two peripheral lugs 69 and 66' which 4 are angularly spaced from lug 10 and from one another. Lug l0 overlaps plate 43.

The pawl 46 has a thickness equal to the combined thicknesses of the.two cam plates 43 and 44, friction disc 42, and of ratchet wheel 4|. It moves, of course, with arm 2| and the door D. When the pawl is riding, during out- Ward swing of the door, on the dwell portions 55 and 65 of the cam plates 43 and 44, the door swings free1y.' When the pawl rides down the portion 68 'of cam plate 4'4'ontothe dwell portion 6'! thereof it engages the teeth of the ratchet wheel 4| and drives the ratchet wheel against the resistance of the friction discs 46 and 42.

further outward swing of the door. When the pawl engages the stop surface 12, which is formed at one side of lug 59' of cam plate 43, the door can swing outwardly no further, for cam plate 43 is held against movement by lug 66 of arm 20.

By adjusting the two cam plates angularly relative to-one another the amount of free swinging movement of the door outwardly can be adjusted. Fig. 8 showsthe two cam plates adjusted relative to one another for a minimum of free swinging movement.- Here cam plate 44 has been adjusted so that upturned lug 10 0f cam plate 44 contacts downturned lug 6| of cam plate 43. Fig. 9 shows the two cam plates adjusted for the maximum free swinging movement of the door. Here cam plate 44 has been rotated counterclockwise relative to cam plate 43 so that lug 69 of cam plate 44 contacts downturned lug 6| .of cam plate 43. In the set-up .of Fig. 9 :pawl 46 must ride upon the outer dwell portions 55 and 65 of the two camplates through a much greater angle before it drops down the portion 68 of .cam plate 44. and can engage the ratchetwheel, than inthe set-up of Fig. 8. This means that the door is free to swing through a greater angle in the set-up of Fig. 9 before the frictionalbraking resistance to its swing begins than in the set-up of Fig". 8. The operation of the device is illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive. Fig. 4 shows the door closed. In this position the pawl is riding upon the high parts or the cam plates 43 and 44. As the door is opened', it is free to swing without restraint as long as the pawl continues to ride upon the high part of either cam plate 43 or cam plate 44. When the pawl rides down off of the high part of cam plate 44, however, it engages a tooth of the ratchet wheel 4 l as shown in Fig. 5. From this point on, until it is stopped, the outward movement of the door is restricted by the friction between the ratchet wheel, which is being driven by the pawl, and the two friction discs 40 and 42. When the pawl has ridden as far as the shoulder 12 on cam plate 43, the door is stopped. This is the position shown in Fig. 6. The frictional braking action of the discs 40 and 42 gradually slows down the movement of the door so that when the pawl comes up against the stop shoulder 12 its movement has been cushioned sufiiciently for the door to stop without any severe jar. Thus the action of the wind .upon the door is neutralized.

After the door-brake has been installed the proper brake tension required to protect the door in a high wind is obtained by tightening nut 3|. With a little experiment the right ten- ,sion can be achieved. The angle through which the door is allowed to swing freely outwardly vbefore braking depends, of course, upon the wind comes the face plate for the latter.

serving the purpose connection with a to the right.

conditions of the locality where the door is to be installed. It is always desirable to allow the door to open the maximum distance without resistance because then there is less. interference with normal, unrestrained swing of the door during traffic into and out of the house.

While the outward movement of the door is restrained frictionally and is limited by stop 12, the door can swing freely to closed position without resistance, because in the closing movement the pawl 46 ratchets idly over the teeth of the ratchet wheel 4| as long as it is in engagement with the ratchet wheel, and then it rides up on rise 68 of cam plate 44 and slides freely on the dwell portions 65 and 55 of the two cam plates until the door is closed.

When this model of door brake is to be installed on the door which swings to the right while opening, the ratchet disc 4| is removed from the bolt 30 and inverted, and the two cam discs 43 and 44 are also removed as a unit and turned over as a unit. Then the inverted ratchet wheel and the inverted pair of cam discs are replaced on the bolt, but with the cam discs located so that the opposite edges of the stop lugs 59 and 69 are adjacent so that the high portion of cam 44 is ahead of the high portion of cam 43 in the direction of rotation of the pawl, which is just opposite to the previous arrangement. Cam plate 44, which is now above cam plate 43 and against friction disc 42, now be- The cam plate 44 is also so located that the locking lug 60 of arm 20 is engaged between the lugs 69 and 69' of the cam plate. Thus cam plate 44 is held against rotation relative to arm '20. The opposite point 5| of the ratchet pawl is also brought into position to engage the ratchet wheel. This is accomplishedby transferringv the end of the spring 48 from one end to the other of the pawl 45. Point 5| of the pawl will now ride on camdiscs 43 and 44. The shoulder I4 (Fig. 9) of the cam plate 44 now serves as a stop for the pawl to prevent the door opening beyond 90 of swing. The cam disc 43 now for which cam disc 44 was used in the previous arrangement can be rotatably adjusted relative to the cam disc 44 to cause the braking action to begin at any desired angle within the first 60 opening swing.

The door brake of the present invention is ideal for use on a door in conjunction with .most popular makes of pneumatic type door closers.

Both the door brake and the pneumatic closercan be installed at the top of the door where the former must at attached and the latter is usually mounted. Each will then function in its normal manner without one interfering with or opposing the action of the other. brake is to be mounted on a door on which a pneumatic closer has already been installed, and the latter has been placed too high up on the top cross-rail of the the end of the arm of the door brake to be fastened in its proper place, the closer can be moved down to a lower position to make room for the bracket.

Figs. 10'to 13 inclusive illustrate one way of employing door closer. For the purposes the invention is here shown in door that opens by swinging pneumatic type of illustration,

Instead Of liWO of the doors If the door 1 door to allow the bracket-on a door brake constructed according to the present invention in combination with at arms and 2'I,='

I there are employedin this, form of the invert-, ti'on a bracket or arm I20 and an arm I-2I.

The bracketor arm I2!) is adapted to be fastened to the frame of the door by screws which pass through. the holes I22. It has a square hole I32. in it similar to hole 32 of arm 20 and it has a lug I60 turned up fromv it for the same purpose as lug 60 of arm 20. Interposed between bracket I20- and arm I2| are a friction disc 40, ratchet wheel 4|, friction disc 42, cam plate 44', and cam plate 43'.

The parts 40, 4| and 42 may be identical with those of Figs. 1 to '7 inclusive. Parts 43 and 44' are similar to parts 43 and 44 of Figs. 1 to 7. Cam plate 43' has lugs. I59 and I59 between which look lug I60 may be engaged when the door swings to the right as shown in Figs. 10 'to 12; and cam plate 44' has lugs I69 and I69 within which lock lug I60 may be. engaged. when the door is swung in the opposite direction; when the door is to be swung to the left the cam plates 43' and 44 are inverted as a unit from the positions shown in Fig. 13 before assemblin the door brake parts together. The two plates have other lugs I6I and H0, respectively, similar to lugs BI and 10, respectively, of plates 43 and 44 and for the same purpose.

The several parts interposed between arms I20 and IN are arranged in the reverse relationship from that of Fig. 7. This is because of the relative positions of bracket I20 and arm I2I. The several parts are held together by a bolt 30 and a nut 3|, a disc 35 and washer 3-1 bein mounted with relation to. arm I'2I in the same manner as they are mounted with relation to arm 2|.

The arm I2I is adapted to carry the pawl 46, which is pivotally mounted on a pin 45' that is secured in the arm. The pawl is constantly urged into operative position by the coil spring 48. The arm I2| is pinned or welded or otherwise secured to the piston rod of the pneumatic door closer. This piston rod 80 is secured to a piston 93 that reciprocatesin a cylinder 82. Cylinder 82 is secured by means of a bracket 83 and screws 84 to the door D.

In operation, as the door is swung open the pawl 46 rides on the high part of the cams 43 and 44' for a predetermined angle, during which the door swings open freely. Then the pawl drops off of the high part of the cams (Fig. 11) down into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 4|. From this point on, the swinging movement of the door is braked by theifrictional resistance exerted by the discs 40 and 42 against rotation of the ratchet, wheel. Thus, the velocity of the door is slowed down. The opening movement of the door in this embodiment of the invention is stopped by the action of the pneumatic door closer itself in the conventional fashion of operation of the-door closer. A conventional door closer has a short coil spring, such as denoted at 90, which surrounds the piston rod 8|) and which is adapted to be compressed .between the piston 93. and end cap 94 ofthe closer when the door isswung to its extreme open position. This spring cushions the last part of the outward movement of the door and stops that movement. In this embodiment of the invention, the door: does not open wide enough for lugs. I59 or I69 of cam plates 43' or 44 to act as stops; the cam plates 43' and 44' are simply made with the manufacture so that cam plates can readily be made up to be used'either with a, door brake such as shown in Figs. 1 to 9 inclusive or with a door brake such as shown in Figs. 10 to 13 inclusive. Spring 95 serves to close the door by its action on piston 93. As soon as the door is released, the stored up energy in the spring 95 returns the door to closed position, the pawl 46 ratcheting idly over the teeth of the ratchet wheel during the return movement so that there is no frictional resistance to the return movement, and so that the speed of return is controlled wholly by the pneumatic closer.

The door brake of the present invention can also be used in conjunction with the hydraulictype door closers which are sometimes used on storm doors and which are usually mounted on the outside of the door. My door brake may be connected to the hydraulic type door closer in a manner similar to the described connection to the pneumatic type closer.

While the invention has been described in connection with a door brake, it may also be used on swin ing windows. It will further be understood that while the invention has been described in connection with certain particular embodiments thereof and a particular use therefor, it is capable of various modifications and uses; and this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth and as fall within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a pair of arms, one of which is pivotally connected to a door and the other of which is connected to the frame of the door, means for pivotally connecting the free ends of the two arms together, a friction disc interposed between said arms for frictionally resisting relative pivotal movement of the arms after One arm has been swung relative to the other through a predetermined angle in one direction, means for rendering said friction disc operative only during swing of said one arm in said one direction, and a positive stop rigidly secured to said other arm for preventing furtherrelative pivotal movement of the arms after said one arm has been swung relative to the other through a predetermined additional angle in said one direction against said frictional resistance.

2. A device of the character described comprising a pair of arms, one of which is pivotally connected to a door and the other of which is connected to the frame of the door, means for pivotally connecting the free ends of said arms, and means for limiting the relative pivotal movement of the arms comprising a ratchet wheel, a friction disc interposed between the ratchet wheel and one arm and having operative relation with the ratchet wheel to frictionally resist rotation of the ratchet wheel, a pawl mounted on the arm, which is connected to the door, in position to engage said ratchet wheel on swinging movement of the door in one direction, means for preventing engagement of the pawl with the ratchet wheel until after the arm, which is connected to the door, has been swung relative to I the other arm through a predetermined angle in 8 said one direction and a stop for preventing further relative pivotal movement of the arm, which is connected to the door, after said one arm has been swung in said one direction through a predetermined additional angle with the pawl in engagement with the ratchet wheel.

3. A device of the character described comprising a pair of arms, one of which is pivotally connected to a door and the other of which is connected to the frame of the door, means for pivotally connecting the free ends of the arms together, and means interposed between the free ends of the arms for limiting their relative pivotal movement comprising a ratchet wheel, a friction disc adapted to engage one side of the ratchet wheel to resist rotation of the same,.a pawl mounted on one arm and adapted to engage said ratchet wheel, and a member adjustable angularly about the pivotal axis of the arms and on which the pawl is adapted to ride and which is adapted to prevent engagement of the pawl with the ratchet wheel until the arms have swung relatively to one another through a predetermined angle in one direction, and means for stopping further relative pivotal movement of the arms after a predetermined additional angle of movement of the arms relative to one another in said one direction with the pawl in engagement with the ratchet wheel.

4. A device of the character described comprising a pair of arms, one of which is pivotally connected to a door and the other of which is connected to the frame of the door, a bolt secured in the free end of one arm against movement relative thereto and forming a pivot for the free end of the other arm, means interposed between the free ends of the two arms to limit outward pivotal movement of one arm relative to the other comprising a ratchet wheel, a pair of friction discs positioned at opposite sides of said ratchet wheel in engagement with the ratchet wheel, a pawl mounted on the arm secured to the door and adapted to engage said ratchet wheel, a cam member, means for holding the cam member against movement relative to the other arm, said cam member being formed with a surface on which the pawl is adapted to ride during the first part of the outward swing of the door and having a recessed portion which permits the pawl to engage the ratchet wheel on further outward swing of the door and having a shoulder against which the pawl is adapted to engage to stop outward pivotal movement of the arm secured to the door and of the door, said discs, ratchet wheel and cam member having aligned holes therein for passage therethrough of the pivot bolt, and a nut threadable on the pivot bolt to control the amount of friction between the discs and ratchet wheel.

5. A device of the character described comprising a pair of arms, one of which is pivotally connected to a door and the other of which is connected to the frame of the door, a bolt secured in the free end of one arm against movement relative thereto and forming a pivot for the free end of the other arm, means interposed between the free ends of the two arms to limit pivotal movement of one arm relative to the other -in one direction comprising a ratchet wheel, a

pair of friction discs positioned at opposite sides of said ratchet wheel in engagement with the ratchet wheel, a pawl mounted on thearm secured to the door and adapted to engage said ratchet wheel, a pair of cam members, and means for holding one of said cam members against movement relative to the other arm, the other cam member being angularly adjustable on the first, said other cam member being provided with a surface, on which the pawl is adapted to ride during the first part of the movement of the arm secured to the door in said one direction, and which is adapted to hold the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet wheel, said other cam member being provided with an adjoining surface which permits the pawl to come into engagement with the ratchet wheel on further movement of the arm secured to the door in said one direction, and means for positively stopping the swing of the arm secured to the door, on which the pawl is mounted, after the arm secured to the door has swung through a predetermined additional angle in said one direction, said discs, ratchet wheel, and cam members being formed with aligned holes to receive the pivot bolt.

6. A device of the character described comprising a pair of arms, one of Which is pivotally connected to a door and the other of which is connected to the frame of the door, means for pivotally connecting the free ends of the two arms together, a plurality of members interposed between the free ends of the two arms, means carried by the arm which is connected to the door for rotating one of said members about the axis of pivotal connection of the two arms, means preventing the last-named means from rotating said one member until after the arm which is connected to the door has been swung relative to the other arm through a predetermined angle in one direction, another of said members comprising a friction disc mounted on the axis of pivotal connection of the two arms and positioned to engage said one member and frictionally resist movement thereof, and a stop for preventing pivotal movement of the arm which is connected to said door after it has been swung through a predetermined additional angle in said one direction against the frictional resistance of said disc.

7. A device of the character described comprising a pair of arms, a fluid-pressure controlled door-closer connected to one Of said arms and also connected to a door, means for connecting the other arm at one end to the frame of the door, means for pivotally connecting the firstnamed arm to the second, a member interposed between said arms and rotatable about the axis of pivotal connection of said arms, a friction disc interposed between one of said arms and said member to engage said member to resist frictionally rotation thereof, means carried by the first-named .arm to rotate said member after the door has been swung through a predetermined angle in one direction, means for adjusting the angle through which the door may be swung before the last named means starts to rotate said member, and cushioning means constituting part of said door-closer for stopping pivotal movement of the first-named arm on the other arm after the first-named arm has been swung through a predetermined angle in said one direction against the frictional resistance of said disc.

EUGENE D. KEARNEY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,494,482 Hornburg May 20, 1924, 1,565,524 Summerall Dec. 15, 1925 1,573,4 04 Hurd Feb. 16, 1926 1,573,512 Bush Feb. 16, 1926 1,763,323 Potter June 10, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 12,037 Australia Mar, 21, 1934 

